SXSW2024: Reviews of ‘Arcadian,’ ‘The Gutter,’ Cheech & Chong

Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 14, 2024 - 9:38am

AUSTIN, TX – The depth and number of films at the SXSW Film & TV Festival portion of the week is nirvana for a film geek’s adventure. Here are three of the films I caught at SXSW … all led by familiar names and have high interest. “Arcadian,” “Gutter” and “Cheech and Chong’s Last Movie” … look for them in 2024.

ARCADIAN

Arcadian
Photo credit: SXSW.com

This harkens back to the kid-in-dystopia craze from the young adult fiction adaptations … think “Hunger Games.” Nicolas Cage is Paul, a father who managed to save his two sons Joseph and Thomas (Jaeden Martell and Maxwell Jenkins) from a post-apocalyptic event. Holed up in a remote UK farm area, the trio fights off a band of creatures who are evolving and mutating … to rid the human virus from planet earth. This is the kid’s story, not Cage-as-Paul’s adventures, but as usual Nic adds the spice to a fairly conventional … except for the design of the creatures … what-will-the-new-world-be scenario.

THE GUTTER

The Gutter
Photo credit: SXSW.com

Right up my alley … hyyyooh. As a former bowler of note, I dug the concept of the film … a “Kingpin” type tale of the fish-out-of-water Walt (Shameik Moore) who discovers an exceptional talent for bowling, and with his coach Skunk (a very funny D’Arcy Carden) goes on the pro bowling tour, to an inevitable match-up with the Queen of Strikes, Linda Curson (Susan Sarandon). If you’re a bowling purist, stay clear of this one. Sarandon admitted at the Q&A that she had never bowled before. But if you like weird weird comedy, this spares no hilarity. HIGHLIGHT: One of the b-roll opening alley shots was of my old alley, Marigold Bowl in Chicago. I leapt from my seat.

CHEECH & CHONG’S LAST MOVIE

The Gutter
Photo credit: SXSW.com

A must see documentary for fans of this amazing comedic duo … who raised stupid stoner stuff hijinks into high art. Cheech & Chong are Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, one of the most successful laugh factory partners of all time, both in album sales and film … for their era they were called “rock ’n roll comedians.” Coming out of the club scene in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the early 1970s, the pair scored big with the comedy album “Cheech and Chong” and subsequent albums and singles, including the iconic hit “Basketball Jones.” In film, they were even bigger, with big box office (for the most part) movies. The doc tells all, including their break up period, which of course was because of “creative differences.” But they are back together, and this film is a great elegy for the legacy.

The 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals will take place March 8th through March 16th. For tickets, events schedule and all information click on SXSW.com